Raspberry Pi & DH

When the Teaching, Learning, & Technology Center did the soft launch of the new campus makerspace, Space154, in the fall of 2016 one of the most versatile technologies it added to the space was the Raspberry Pi.

A Raspberry Pi is a credit card size computer that was originally developed to help young children learn to code. However, it did not take long for people to realize the potential of the Pi and apply it to many other uses. In the digital humanities a number of creative projects take advantage of both the size and affordability (just $35!) of the Pi to both create new texts or showcase their research. Check out some of my favorite DH Pi Projects:

Museum in a Box – This is a clever idea that takes a Raspberry Pi, 3D printing, and RFID technologies to create traveling exhibitions of artifact replicas. This is a great way for Archives and Special Collections to increase access and engagement with collections. If it can be done in collaboration with a faculty member, even better! A partnership with a faculty member can also bring the process of selecting items from the collection for the box as well as recording the audio narrative for the objects to the classroom to allow students an opportunity to take part in the curatorial process and deepen their learning.

*Swap out the Raspberry Pi and RFID tags for QR codes and you have an alternate way to create your museum in a box.

Autocomplete Poetry – In this project an artist used with Pi and a Google search to create poetry.

Layer Chiffon – A DH @ SHU project, this installation uses data, 3D design, video, and the Pi to create a viewer driven interactive narrative on consumer decisions and representation in marketing by gender; percentage of chemical agents in 10 popular packaged food items; and solid waste generation. Professor Courtney Starrett used a Raspberry Pi connected to a projector to play videos as viewers interact with her installation.

It is also worth exploring programs developed for the Pi to really get a sense of its versatility: